DU students try to forcefully enter two halls
A section of Dhaka University students have tried to forcefully enter Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall and Amar Ekushey Hall, after around a year’s closure.
However, they left after remaining at the halls for around half an hour.
This incident occurred at around 12:30pm Monday. The students said that they entered the halls to give the administration a message that if they want, they can enter the halls on their own accord.
If the hall administration gets the message, they would certainly open the halls from today, Monday.
These students then took up position in a scattered manner near the halls, around Chankharpool and Dhaka Medical College Hospital areas. In the afternoon, around 25 to 30 students were seen gathering in the hall grounds.
They told Prothom Alo that they had come to the hall at around 11:00am. At around 11:45am they entered Shaheed Ataur Rahman Khan Khadim Bhaban, a building of Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall. Half an hour later, they left. They had hoped that this would be a message to the administration and the administration would open the halls soon. They had even spoken to the administration.
Around 20 to 30 students, at the same time, also forcefully entered Amar Ekushey Hall, stayed there around half an hour and then left. They hung a leaflet on the gate of the Amar Ekushey Hall, demanding the hall to be opened.
An employee in charge of Shahidullah Hall’s security, Kamal Hossain, told Prothom Alo, “Around 30 to 40 students entered the building. They forcefully took the keys from me, unlocked the entrance and entered."
Students are allowed to enter the hall with permission every Sunday and Wednesday to collect their belongings, he added.
Kamal Hossain said, "As yesterday (Sunday), 21 February, was a government holiday, they could not enter. Today (Monday) at first a few came and took their belongings, but then around 30 or 40 came along and said the hall must be opened. Now there is no one inside. I informed the hall administration about the matter.”
Shahidullah Hall union’s vice president and Dhaka University Chhatra League’s senior joint general secretary Hussain Ahmed Sohan said, “The university administration has taken the decision to open the halls for examinees from 13 March. But some departments are holding exams outside of that. The students of these departments are facing problems staying in Dhaka. That is why they came to the hall to inform the authorities about the problems.”
He said, “The staff quarters remain open and so it would be good if the halls are opened for the students too. We have delivered this message of the students to the administration.”
The hall union general secretary Irfanul Huq Sourav said, “We have spoken to the authorities about the students’ demands. They said that if they are informed about specific demands, they would try to resolve the matter.”
Dr. Muhammad Shahidullah Hall provost Syed Humayun Akhter told Prothom Alo that the students had come to collect their belongings. They did not come to stay in the hall. The university administration will decide on opening the halls.”